12 Tiny Things

for spring

After what we thought might be a very early spring, one week ago we were bracing for a blizzard. By Sunday last week the ground was buried under a foot of new snow and it -2 degrees overnight. My spouse, who works in the downhill ski industry, got stuck in the UP of Michigan¹ and most activities got cancelled due to the weather. We were still doing turns on the home ski hill just four days ago.

And then spring arrived arrived for real with the second swift melt of the year. It was 60 degrees by noon on the equinox (yesterday) and is 75 degrees today². The streams on either side of the house are gushing, we spotted an otter fishing through holes in the ice last night, and the resident woodchuck is poking around in the newly uncovered grass near the dock. Geese are flapping overhead and the trills of sandhill cranes and red wing blackbirds have returned.

All of a sudden things are melting and flowing and shifting. The earth is waking up, shifting into a different sort of momentum. Maybe you are too.³ This time of year supports creating change in a different way than deep winter. Spring is an opportunity for figuring out where you want to put your energy, sloughing off what isn’t serving you, and ensuring you’re tending to what you want to grow.

Here are 12 (more) tiny things, spring style. Try a few on or add your own to the list. What will you do to ensure you’re emerging into the sort of life you want along with the season?

1. Get rid of something. A pair of pants that don’t fit anymore, a book you started but aren’t enjoying enough to finish, that gift somebody gave you during the holidays that just doesn’t align with your interests. Create some space for something new.

2. Give thanks for what you have. Even if (especially if) there is plenty of newness and change you want to bring into being, make sure to practice gratitude for what already is. Jot down three things you’re grateful for each morning, invite your family/roommates to offer one gratitude aloud before eating dinner, or write a few notes of thanks to colleagues. Practice being grateful for what’s already good.

3. Move joyfully, ideally outside. Consider that sort of movement brings you joy and make a point to do it, even if just for a few minutes. Dance, ride your bike, shoot some hoops with your neighbor or kids, play catch or frisbee. Embrace your inner kid and remember what it feels like to play.

4. Taste what you eat. Savor the scents and tastes of the spring season. What do you look forward to eating in spring? Anticipate it and when it’s time, enjoy some fresh produce as it becomes available by mindfully preparing and savoring whatever it is.

5. Plant a seed. Be it in a pot indoors or a garden bed when it warms up enough outside, plant something with the intention of tending its growth.

6. Name your inspiration. What do you want for yourself this season? Why do you want it? What’s under your desire to change (or maintain) whatever it is you want to change (or maintain). Keep asking those sorts of questions until you get to the root of your desire.

7. Set a goal. Get specific, make sure you can measure what you’re doing, ensure it’s attainable, relevant to what you want, and timebound.⁴

8. Connect with people who matter to you. Maybe you let a family member, a colleague, a friend, or a neighbor know what your goal is and, if they’re willing, how they can support you. Offer to support them with something as well. Listen when people talk, ask questions, and offer your own stories in return.

9. Take a deep breath. Change is hard, stress is a part of life, and the world is chaotic and unpredictable. Your breath is always with you, and being intention about noticing it and slowing it down or deepening it now and then can help create a tiny oasis of calm in the moment.

10. Drink a glass of water. Perhaps even before your first cup of coffee. Hydration is important, and it’s easy to forget about it. But it makes a difference.

11. Delete one app from your phone. Maybe one that’s non essential, one that takes more energy than returns, or one that leaves you feeling worse after looking at it.

12. Relinquish control.⁵ Identify something that is outside your direct control that you have, in fact, been trying to control (most of us have something…). Consider what it would be like to let go, and when you’re ready, practice doing so.

Here’s to spring. What tiny things will you be practicing in the months ahead?

1. If you’re going to get stranded in a blizzard, a ski resort is a good place to be.

2. which is a little warm for me this time of year, but the birds are out in force and the lake ice is fading fast.

3. ….if you set a new years resolution back in January and it’s fallen off the radar, consider looking at it again in spring…

4. In other words, set a S.M.A.R.T. goal. Even if that feels cringy because you have to do it at your corporate job or to keep your health insurance premiums lower. The energy of the process is different if you drive it yourself toward what YOU want.

5. Yeah, I know, this one isn’t so tiny.